Thomas SnellHave you ever been inside Snellville City Hall? Maybe if you don't have any business to conduct there, you think there's no reason to go. It's okay - you can go in there just to look around. There's no tour guide, and you will need to be reasonably quiet, but you can see everything very easily in a 15-30-minute visit.
You will see the portrait (above) of Thomas Snell, as well as several historical items from James Sawyer's store. Also in City Hall are some early Snellville documents, and several paintings of some of the early Snellville buildings.
I'd recommend that you read up a bit on the history of Snellville here before your visit.
You can also walk from City Hall to the Snellville Historical Cemetery. The cemetery is a history lesson in itself. You will see many of the historic Snellville family's names, like Britt, Clower, and Snell. Thomas Snell died in 1896 at the age of 39. But Thomas Snell's grave isn't found in the Snellville Historical Cemetery - his remains were re-interred from Brownlee's Mountain to Lithonia GA. James Sawyer died in 1948 at the age of 91 and his remains are in a mausoleum in the Snellville Historical Cemetery.
If you have kids, and you're concerned they will be upset visiting a cemetery, it's all in how you project your own feelings about death & cemeteries, and how you explain it to your kids. The graves and markers are an important way to remember loved ones and learn about history. Every grave is somebody's beloved mom, dad, grandfather, uncle, etc.
As we left the cemetery, my 4-year-old son happily exclaimed, "I had so much FUN at this cemetery!"
Even I was surprised at that.
You will see the portrait (above) of Thomas Snell, as well as several historical items from James Sawyer's store. Also in City Hall are some early Snellville documents, and several paintings of some of the early Snellville buildings.
I'd recommend that you read up a bit on the history of Snellville here before your visit.
You can also walk from City Hall to the Snellville Historical Cemetery. The cemetery is a history lesson in itself. You will see many of the historic Snellville family's names, like Britt, Clower, and Snell. Thomas Snell died in 1896 at the age of 39. But Thomas Snell's grave isn't found in the Snellville Historical Cemetery - his remains were re-interred from Brownlee's Mountain to Lithonia GA. James Sawyer died in 1948 at the age of 91 and his remains are in a mausoleum in the Snellville Historical Cemetery.
If you have kids, and you're concerned they will be upset visiting a cemetery, it's all in how you project your own feelings about death & cemeteries, and how you explain it to your kids. The graves and markers are an important way to remember loved ones and learn about history. Every grave is somebody's beloved mom, dad, grandfather, uncle, etc.
As we left the cemetery, my 4-year-old son happily exclaimed, "I had so much FUN at this cemetery!"
Even I was surprised at that.
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